Hours Minutes Seconds
by reen212000
Summary: Just how did Sheppard get in that suit? And what happened after he shut them out of the forward hatch? Spoilers for Midway.
1. The Easy Part

With a lungfull of air, John rose from the cold floor. Checking the Wraith once more, he stumbled down the corridor towards the 'jumper. Vaguely he knew which direction to go, but he pinged the small ship anyway. Again, he drew in as much air as he could and soldiered on.

He was so close. _So close._

Yet there was no way he would get there before passing out. Black dots swam across his vision as he entered the small room at the airlock; the lights began fading in and out. _No, wait. That's me! _Snapping his eyes open, John steadied himself at the doorway as his body lurched sideways. On the wall, three space suits mocked him with their serenity. He was out of time.

John leaned forward, undoing the seals with thick, clumsy fingers. His body felt cold and heavy as he lifted a leg into the suit. Before fastening the seals, he switched on the oxygen, not caring how much was wasted through the openings. Drawing in sweet, life-giving air, he was finally able to function a little better. Finally sealed inside, he waited, hoping someone would notice. Going out in a spectacular explosion wouldn't be a bad way to go, but John Sheppard wasn't ready for that just yet.

As he concentrated on breathing slowly, the aches and pains made themselves known. The adrenaline was wearing off, and John felt every bruise that slowly formed along his arms and left side. The Wraith he fought didn't seem as powerful as ones in the past, possibly they had not fed recently. Come to think of it, none of the drones even tried to stand after the first wave of bullets. This was a kamikaze run, all or nothing. Midway was going to explode because of the Wraith objective.

The blaring alarm was muted while inside the suit; the noise caused his head to throb in time. John drowned out the sound, and listened instead to the click of the oxygen pump. He slowly drew another breath, willing the fire in his lungs to abate.

A memory flashed of himself in sixth grade. Jimmy Donnelly bet John two Jolly Rancher Fire Stix he couldn't hold his breath for thirty seconds. Young John did him one better, holding his breath for nearly a minute. He was dizzy for the next half hour, and his mother was alternately concerned and angry. _Nope, she was furious!_

John smiled at the memory. The last time he thought about that incident involved a similar situation. Only this time, some guy wasn't trying to kill himself. Immediately, sadness swept over him as memories filtered through, leaving him empty. _Stop it, John! You're not dead yet!_

Suddenly, there were feet pounding down the corridor. Doctor Lee punched in the code to open the airlock; Kavanagh pushed past to get in first. Two marines followed, and Rodney actually had their six. I'm gonna have a little talk with those two... Rodney searched behind him with worried eyes.

He's looking for me! John tried to get his limbs to move, anything to get his friend's attention. The suit's pump clicked as Rodney was about to step away. Miraculously, he heard it, turning from the airlock door.

Relief flooded over John as Rodney faced him, wide-eyed and harried. His cheeks were pink from exertion, but the rest of his features were pale. _Nope, you can't get rid of me that easily, Rodney. _He felt the man stab at a button outside the suit; a light would reveal his face.

Startled, McKay jerked back, his exclamation muted by the suit. The only thing John could think of was there were two minutes left before self destruct obliterated them all. Squinting against the sudden brightness, John took a breath. "Get me out of here," he said, not sure if McKay could hear him.

Rodney quickly fumbled with the seals and held out a hand to steady his friend. Grabbing John's belt loop and tac vest, he helped John step out of the suit. Rodney felt stiff, cold hands latch onto his shoulder as John regained his balance. "I thought –"

"No time. Let's go."

"Yes, of course," Rodney sputtered, bewildered by the sudden appearance of Sheppard, who he thought was dead. Again. "Are you all right? You look really pale. Did –"

"I'm fine, Rodney," John said as the room spun and righted itself. He felt the scientist's hand clasp his arm in the tenderest spot. John jerked his arm away, trying not to yelp in pain.

McKay stared at his empty hand for a second before eying the pilot suspiciously. John tilted his head, daring his companion to say anything. Rodney shook his head as they came to the 'jumper hatch. "We'll talk about this later, you and I," he said quietly as he dropped down into the 'jumper.

John felt his lips curve in a smile as he too dropped into the little ship. He headed straight for the controls, shrugging off hands that steadied him as he walked past. John instructed everyone to sit down, barely recognizing his own voice.

The 'jumper was ready to leave as the pilot did a quick preflight adjustment. As the ship detached, John thought of nothing but speed. The greatest accomplishment the rest of Earth would never see exploded into dust and debris at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.

Through the headache pounding behind his eyes, John thought, _Now comes the hard part._


	2. The Hard Part

The headache wouldn't go away.

John tried to drown the three geeks out with math, then music, then made their technobabble into white noise. That worked the longest. A little more than a day had passed, and John Sheppard began to wish Rodney had never found he in that space suit.

He hoped the two other marines would help him out, but they were engrossed in their own game of one-upmanship. His body ached all over, and he was cold. The lonely hum of the 'jumper seemed to be fading under all the other unwanted stimulation John received.

_Enough._

Glancing over at Rodney, John could tell the other man was nearly as angry. But the arrogant side of McKay could never resist a fight. He watched his friend scrunch up his face as he turned to scowl at his colleagues. John saw the muscles of Rodney's neck tense, corded as he launched into the argument. The pilot imagined the words coiling around Rodney's brain, spinning until they flew out of his mouth like bullets.

"No, Gatekeeper was not a scary game. It wasn't even a cool game."

"The game could anticipate your moves," Kavanagh blurted. "I'm just saying it was intuitive."

"Whatever. Did you even play the game?" Lee calmly said glancing at his page of equations.

"He was probably too scared to slip the tape in the VCR," one of the marines said.

"Yeah, maybe he fainted then too," said the other.

"I did not faint!"

"Actually," Lee interrupted quietly, thumbing through pages. "I believe the expression is 'fainted dead away.'"

Kavanagh blustered, and Rodney turned back to face the front, staring at the glowing galaxy below. His cruel smile widened to a grin, then faded away. Glancing over at Sheppard, Rodney's brow twitched together.

"What?" John asked, sitting straighter.

Shaking his head, the scientist turned back to the window. "You look terrible, you know that?"

"Well, it would be nice if there was peace and quiet for about an hour." John smiled ruefully in the direction of the stars. "I –"

"Ow!"

"Five bucks says Lee wins."

"You're on!"

"You are probably the stupidest person I know," Doctor Lee's calm demeanor was wearing off. "I can't believe you said that."

"DS9 was cooler than Atlantis! Ask any real fan of the show –"

"What? Atlantis is a ship, Deep Space Nine was a space station."

"Same difference," Kavanagh snorted. "But for having no gravitational body –"

"You idiot! The Bajoran system of planets was right there, not to mention a very large wormhole. Did you even watch the show?" Rodney was all about the world of Star Trek. But...

_Enough_.

"Of course I watched the show! It was a Bajoran mining station –"

Lee threw up his hands. "It's pretty clear you didn't watch the show or pay attention, so just move on."

"What's your problem?"

One marine – Owens – shifted forward, closer to Kavanagh. "Dude, it was the Cardassians, and you owe me five bucks!"

"As if I want any part of your mundane gambling," Kavanagh sneered. "Why don't you go time yourselves taking apart your gun, or whatever it is that knuckle-dragging –"

_Enough!_

"Jeez, Sheppard!" Rodney had a hand over his ear. "Say it a little louder. I don't think Earth heard you."

The headache John suffered caused tunnel vision, and a keen dislike for voices. He pressed his finger to his lips and said very quietly, "Get out."

McKay knew that tone, but for some reason it sounded more dangerous in the close quarters. He rose slowly, backing out of the main part of the ship. "Why are you throwing me out? I've barely said –" Rodney reigned in his words as he watched a shadow pass over the pilot's face. The air changed in the 'jumper, and he knew not to say anything else.

The bulkhead door closed, leaving John blissfully alone in silence.

--------------------

"Can't you override it?" Kavanagh asked a day later.

Rodney snorted. "Of course I can override it. Doesn't necessarily mean I want to." He stood taking a deep breath, reminding himself to forget the closed in space. "Look, just give him some time to rest and I'm sure he'll open the door."

Two days later, the bulkhead door was still closed, and Rodney was beginning to worry. The colonel looked pale and bruised, not to mention deprived of oxygen for an indeterminate amount of time. Peeling off the panel, Rodney switched around a few crystals and the mechanism unlocked.

"Finally," Kavanagh huffed pushing past the marines and Lee. "Well, what are you waiting for, McKay? _Open_ it."

"You know, uh, that's probably not such a good idea there," Doctor Lee said sheepishly.

Rodney blocked the door with his sturdy body. "You're not going in there. Not right now."

An arrogant smirk planted itself on the scientist's face. "You gonna stop me?"

Crossing his arms, and jutting his chin, Rodney planted his feet. The marines stood, ready to break up a possible fight. Lee sat back down on the bench, shaking his head. Without taking his eyes off Kavanagh, Rodney reached up for a med kit. Opening the door, he stepped backwards into the forward compartment. Closing and locking the door again, McKay cautiously turned around. Sheppard was slumped over in his chair, deep asleep. _God knows how long it's been since he'd slept properly._

Fishing around quietly in the kit, Rodney found a bottle of extra strength Tylenol. He doled out four tablets and an extra canteen and set them on the console. He also left an emergency blanket, just in case. Listening to the colonel's untroubled breathing, McKay took a last look at the stars.

Unlocking the door, he left Sheppard in peace.

---------------------

"Well?" Kavanagh was nearly pouting.

"Hey look! I found cards." Doctor Lee was back to his laid back casual self, triumphantly waving the deck.

McKay settled himself in front of the door, ignoring the other man. "Poker? Hearts? What are you playing?"

The marines came forward, kneeling on the uneven floor, picking up dealt cards, while Kavanagh huffed settling on a bench.

"The game is Texas Hold'em, gentlemen," Lee said with a grin.

------------------

The next day, Rodney woke to the sound of bickering. His two colleagues were at it again. Soon, it died to monosyllabic answers. An hour later, they were playing a juvenile game of Go Fish, discussing the movie Pearl Harbor.

Rodney McKay had had enough.

---------------------

The End.


End file.
